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Column Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in writing a guest column for our magazine. This document will help you write a column that meets our editorial guidelines. We do not accept unsolicited submissions, so before you write, please contact Senior Editor Tim Goral to discuss your topic. Tim can be reached at tgoral@lrp.com.

Writing guidelines

Your column should have a strong point, something our readers will want to discuss and share. This point, or thesis, should be clearly established at or near the top of the article. The topic must be of interest to a national audience.

Your column should be topical, meaning it must address the question, “Why is it important that I read this now?” And it must be sharply focused, meaning depth is better than breadth.

Provide enough background information to ensure that readers understand the context and relevance of your topic.

Do not dwell on "the problem;" our readers are already familiar with the problems facing higher education. Instead, focus on solutions, with lots of details and strong use of examples. A good guideline is to devote no more than 25% of your article to describing the problem, with the rest of the piece addressing solutions.

Back up your thesis with research, examples, evidence and, where appropriate, quotes from authoritative sources.

If your point is controversial, be sure to recognize and refute the most obvious objections.

Keep in mind that our readers are looking for “news to use.” Include specific suggestions that they can implement, and possibly resources for additional information.

Re-read your article to ensure that it is well-organized and persuasive.

General guidelines

We do not pay for guest columns.

If accepted, your column may run in our print magazine or on our website, or both.

Once your column is accepted, it can take several months for it to be published. We cannot guarantee a specific publication month.

If we have questions or suggestions about the content of your article, we will ask you to make appropriate revisions.

If your column is accepted for publication, we reserve the right to edit it for clarity or length. If time permits, we will send it back to you for final review. However, in some cases our publishing deadlines may preclude us from sending you the edited version for review and approval.

What we don’t accept

Columns bylined by executives from companies that sell products to the markets we serve.

Columns that directly or indirectly promote or endorse a product or company, either by name or inference.

Columns that present a “case study” about the implementation of a product or service.

What to send us

Article length: 600-650 words

Headline: 8-12 words

Subhead: 10-12 words

Callout: 14-18 words

Bio: 1-2 short sentences. You may include your email address if desired, but not a company URL.

Photo: High-resolution head shot. (Photo file size should be greater than 1 MB.)